Tonight, a news story that shows just how big a "crisis" some people can make out of an unplanned pregnancy.

In Columbus, Georgia, a pregnant 16-year-old was allegedly forced by her family to drink turpentine in an attempt to abort the baby against her will. The girl's mother and two cousins are now in custody and will await trial.

Here's a video, and a news story with more details.

It sort of amazes me that these people were so horrified by a pregnancy that they were willing to harm their own family member in order to end it.

Which makes me wonder - why do people freak out so badly when faced with the news of an unplanned pregnancy? Is it the loss of control? The social stigma? The sense that this unforseen circumstance will irreperably destroy all future plans? Or is it just a failure of imagination - an inability to see that they may well come to love and value the unexpected family member?

I ought to be able to understand this mindset, because I too freaked out (though certainly not to the turpentine extent) when I found out I was pregnant. It's definitely scary to be pregnant when you weren't expecting to be. But it's also getting harder for me to relate to that kind of thinking, because these days I have a much different attitude about what constitutes a crisis. And I can tell you I would not feel that same type of panic now, should it happen to me again.

If I wind up unexpectedly pregnant in the future, I'll welcome the new life, and the second chance at motherhood. My unplanned pregnancy taught me a lot about accepting what comes my way--and it made me less prone to fall apart under stress. Having experienced one of the biggest losses anyone can ever face, I am stronger, and I just don't get that upset over bumps in the road. I know now that what may seem like the worst development in the world is quite possibly a blessing in disguise. I guess you could say that this knowledge is one of the few good things to have come out of my adoption experience.